Armored turret with dual feed means

ABSTRACT

An armored turret has one or more automatic firearms mounted on the outside of the turret. Armor protects the firearms on the sides remote from the turret. A first means for feeding ammunition to said firearm is provided from inside the turret, and a second means for feeding ammunition to each firearm is located within the armor protecting each firearm. A magazine for a supply of ammunition is located inside the protecting armor.

[ 1 Aug. 29, 1972 United States Patent Zurbuchen et al.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [54] ARMORED TURRET WITH DUAL FEED MEANS [72] Inventors: Louis Zurbuchen, Dietlikon; Hant N a, Hegnau, both f Swit 2,364,425 12/1944 Corte.............. Zerland 3,501,996 /1970 Llpp et a1........ 3,277,787 10/1966 Brieger............ [73] Asslgnee: werkzeug'mschmenfabr'k ,076 386 2/1963 likm'nuhrle Zurich Switzer' 3 602'088 8/1971 Spn'n land 1 A ril 30, 1970 Primary Examiner-Benjamin A. Borchelt [21] pp No 33 358 Assistant Examiner-C. T. Jordan [22] Filed:

Attorney-Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack [30] Foreign Application Priority Data ABSTRACT May 8,1969 An armored turret has one or more automatic Switzerland ...............7067/69 firearms mounted on the outside of the turret. Armor protects the firearms on the sides remote from the tur- .89/36 K, 89/33 F, 89/33 SF,

ret. A first means for feeding ammunition to said firearm is provided from inside the turret, and a 89/36 H .F41h 5/20, F41h 5/16, F4ld 9/00 [51] Int. [58] Field of Search .....89/36 K, 36 H, 33 SF, 33 BB, second means for feeding ammunition to each firearm is located within the armor protecting each firearm. A

89/33 F, 33 C, 33 CA, 33 R magazine for a supply of ammunition is located inside the protecting armor.

2Claims,7DrawingFigures Patented Aug. 29, 1972 3,687,003

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IS ZURBUCHEN and SPE'I'ER NOVET, Inventors YJJMM$LII+ M Attorneys Patented Aug. 29, 1972 3,687,003

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 LOUIS ZURBUCHEN and HANSPETER NOVET, Inventors y Imu Attorneys 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 LOUIS ZURBUCHEN andv HANSPEIER NOVET,

Inventors Attorneys ARMORED TURRET WITH DUAL FEED MEANS The invention relates to an armored turret.

In an armored turret already known in the art the firearm is mounted on a side shield of the turret. A cartridge belt in a magazine inside the turret can be fed to the firearm through the shield. If the firearm of such an armored turret is required to fire at air targets as well as at armored targets on the ground, two types of ammunition must be made available to the firearm, namely explosive ammunition and armor-piercing ball ammunition. In the above described arrangement this is impossible.

The present invention seeks to overcome this problem. An armored turret according to the invention includes at least one automatic firearm mounted on the outside of the turret and protected by armor on its side remote from the turret, means for feeding ammunition to the firearm from inside the turret, and additional means for feeding ammunition situated within said armor.

The invention is illustrated by way example in the accompanying drawings and will be more particularly described with reference thereto. In the drawings FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an armored fighting vehicle, having an armored turret according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the fighting vehicle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of a gun and its armor of an armored turret according to the invention in a part sectional side elevation taken on the line III-Ill in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the gun and its armor of FIG.

FIG. .5 is a side view of the armor of the gun of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken on the line VIVI in FIG. 4, schematically showing the cartridge belt;

FIG. 7 is a section taken on the line VII-VII in FIG. 4.

With reference to FIG. 1 and 2 a turret 1 is rotatably mounted in the armored hull of a fighting vehicle. Mounted on each side of the turret 1 is an automatic firearm 2 which can be elevated about an axis 3. Each gun 2 is protected against fragments and small arms fire by armor 4 comprising a forward section 5, a side section 6 and a rear section 7.

The guns are each secured to an elevating ring 8 mounted in a further ring 9 attached to the turret 1. Each elevating ring 8 is attached to a plate 10, and the bottom edge of the circumference of each plate 10 contains a circular toothed are 12 engaged by a driving pinion 1 1.

With reference to FIG. 3 the gun 2 is slidably mounted in two blocks 14, 15 secured by bolts 13. Extending between the blocks 14, 15 is a casing 18. The plate 10 carries an arcuate supporting member 19. Two transverse bearing members a, 20b are attached to the supporting member 19 and these carry a bar 21 extending parallel to the plate 10. Another bar 24 is secured to the bearing member 20b and has a slot 25 parallel to the latter. The front section 5 of the armor has the shape of a truncated pyramid and embraces the forward part of the gun 2 that is not protected by the side section 6. Section 5 of the armor is supported by the bar 24, a rearward extension 42 engaging the slot 25 in the bar 24. The front section 5 of the armor is also detachably secured by a bracket 43 to the front sliding block 14.

Section 7 of the armor embraces the rear end of the gun 2 which is not protected by the side section 6. This section 7 has a U-shaped cross section and its plane of symmetry coincides with the median center plane of the gun 2. It is held by two brackets 44 and 45 detachably affixed to the rear sliding block 15 and to the transverse bearing member 20a. The two sections 5 and 7 of the armor are each provided with a hinged cover 46, 47 respectively protecting the gun fore and aft of the casing 18.

With reference to FIG. 4 the side section 6 of the armor which extends across the center part of the gun 2 contains the main mechanism for feeding ammunition. Secured to one end face 26 of the side section 6 are two sleeves 39 extending towards the gun 2. The bolts 13 engage the sleeves 39 and thus support the side section 6. The sliding blocks 14, 15 as well as the sleeves 39 have bores and the bolts 13 have corresponding peripheral grooves 17 permitting pins 41 to lock the sliding blocks and sleeves in a particular axial position on the bolts 13. The top 28 of the side section 6 of the armor contains an opening 49 which can be closed by a cover 35 mounted on a hinge 36.

With reference to FIG. 5 the side section 6 is divided by two partitions 31 to form an ammunition magazine 32 for cartridges 34.

With reference to FIG. 6 the side section 6 of the armor is formed by a hollow body which is of constant cross section along a certain part of its length. This hollow body defines the ammunition magazine 32 which contains a cartridge belt 33 holding cartridges 34. The magazine 32 is defined firstly by the above mentioned partitions 31 (FIG. 5), an end wall 26, a second wall 27 parallel thereto; further by a top 28 normal to the inside wall 26, a sloping wall 29 which connects the wall 27 to the top 28 and a trough-shaped bottom 30.

The cartridge belt 33 is introduced through an opening 37 in the wall 26 to a feed wheel 38 of the belt feeding mechanism of the gun 2, the feed wheel being located on the right hand side of the axis of the gun. A second feed wheel 38 is provided on the left hand of the gun axis and feeds a second belt 48 to the breech casing 16 of the gun. Below the breech casing 16 are two deflector plates 22 which define a channel 23 through which empty cartridge cases are ejected. A bar 40 on the side armor 6 bears against the bar 21 and forms an abutment.

The manner in which the arrangement functions is as follows. Let it be assumed that the gun 2 has been elevated to fire at a target in the air. In such a case explosive ammunition will be fed from inside the turret via the left hand belt feed mechanism 38 to the breech casing 16 ofthe gun 2 (FIG. 6).

Should it now suddenly become necessary to deal with armored ground targets, the gun 2 is lowered from its elevated position. This is done with the aid of the pinion 1 1 which meshes with the toothed are 12 of the plate 10. The plate 10 is secured to the elevating ring 8 which is guided in the further ring 9. The gun 2 and the casing 16 containing the breech mechanism are connected to the plate 10 by the sliding blocks l4, l5 and the bolts 13 and therefore participate in the movements ofthe plate 10 (FIG. 1, 3).

When the gun has been thus lowered into position for firing at a ground target, the left hand belt feeding mechanism is inactivated and the belt feed mechanism 33 on the right of the gun is used.

This belt 33 feeds armor piercing ball ammunition from the magazine 32 formed by a part of the side armor to the breech casing 16 of the gun 2 (FIG. 6).

We claim:

1. An armored turret having a firearm mounted outside thereof comprising a rotary ring supported pivotally on said armored turret on which said firearm is attached, driving means for pivoting said rotary ring with said firearm, an apron attached to said firearm for the lateral protection of said firearm, said apron being spaced from said armored turret and having an opening, a cover closing said opening, a first and a second cartridge belt located at opposite sides of said firearm, cartridge feeding elements associated with said belts for feeding said first cartridge belt located in said armored turret through said rotary ring and for feeding said second cartridge belt located in said apron to said firearm, two belt member outlet openings above said firearm between said armored turret and said apron and a cartridge outlet opening below said firearm, between said armored turret and said apron.

2. An armored turret according to claim 1, wherein said apron has an inner wall abutting against said firearm and having an opening, an outer longitudinal wall parallel to said inner wall and parallel transverse walls between said inner and outer walls forming an ammunition container. 

1. An armored turret having a firearm mounted outside thereof comprising a rotary ring supported pivotally on said armored turret on which said firearm is attached, driving means for pivoting said rotary ring with said firearm, an apron attached to said firearm for the lateral protection of said firearm, said apron being spaced from said armored turret and having an opening, a cover closing said opening, a first and a second cartridge belt located at opposite sides of said firearm, cartridge feeding elements associated with said belts for feeding said first cartridge belt located in said armored turret through said rotary ring and for feeding said second cartridge belt located in said apron to said firearm, two belt member outlet openings above said firearm between said armored turret and said apron and a cartridge outlet opening below said firearm, between said armored turret and said apron.
 2. An armored turret according to claim 1, wherein said apron has an inner wall abutting against said firearm and having an opening, an outer longitudinal wall parallel to said inner wall and parallel transverse walls between said inner and outer walls forming an ammunition container. 